62 - Murim Login

Chapter 62 The world seemed to come to a halt. The sound of my heartbeat thundered in my ears, and I could see every tiny particle of dirt swirling in the air with striking clarity. Then... Whoosh. There was a flash. The light from the sword's arc was both beautiful and precise. I could sense the destructive power that seemed capable of slicing not just the spear's blade but my very being in half. 'It's over.' I had given it my all. To claim there was no regret would be a lie, yet the outcome would not change. All that was left was to face it with everything I had. Swish! The spear blade cleaved the wind, and the sword arc erased it. It was a moment when death loomed close. Screech! Thud! The Grand Elder's eyes widened. Rising at lightning speed, an unknown figure drove a dagger into his midsection. "You... "You should've aimed for the blood artery." It was an attack no one anticipated. Just moments ago, he was just another corpse among the many scattered around. But that wasn't the case. The mysterious figure had merely bided his time with extreme patience, waiting to avenge his child's death. The Grand Elder cried out the name like a scream. "Lee Cheon-baek!" "Kuhaha!" At the moment Lee Cheon-baek burst into manic laughter, my spear blade pierced his back, cutting through flesh and bone without hesitation. Ding. - You have defeated [Lv.75 Lee Cheon-baek]! - Level up! - Level up! - Level up! - All status ailments have been cured due to multiple level-ups! Changes swept through me. The aching muscles, heavy limbs, and the empty feeling in my center surged with newfound strength. At that moment, I understood what I needed to do. 'Il Seom.' Once more. A white vortex erupted forth. Crack! Brush with Death. Those four characters had never resonated this strongly in my heart before. I truly returned from the brink of death. It felt like I had gone through a bureaucratic process into hell, embracing the King of Hell himself, almost taking a commemorative photo with him. If not for Lee Cheon-baek, that illusion might have become reality. 'Glad I saved him.' Though I wanted to close Lee Cheon-baek's eyes to let him rest in peace, I still had more to do. "You should really try to live a good life." The Grand Elder chuckled at my words. His state was disastrous. Il Seom had devoured his remaining arm and punched a hole the size of a fist in his chest. "You foul-hearted scoundrel. Have you no respect for a dying old man?" "The elderly I know spend their twilight years enjoying the antics of their grandchildren. Not rampaging around trying to kill them like some crazed old coot." "Ha! Boy, you ought to play the part of a grandchild before speaking like that." The old man laughed, sounding both exhausted and oddly relieved, as though he'd unburdened himself completely. "Taekyung was a good child. Had the Grand Elder opened his heart first, they might have enjoyed a wonderful grandparent-grandchild relationship." The Grand Elder turned his head to find Jin Wi-kyung standing there, grasping a sword. "Do you mean to stab me with that sword?" "I'm still contemplating." "You must hasten that decision. Time does not favor us." He spoke the truth. Even as they conversed, pretending to be unaffected, blood flowed from his severed arms and lower abdomen like a waterfall. Yet he still harnessed his innate energy, weathering the storm. The fact he lived even now seemed a miracle. "You appear fatigued." "No, I'm finding peace." It was a firm response. "When the Demon War erupted, I was barely at the age of thirty. Since then, not once have I rested in comfort. No..." The Grand Elder's voice was weary as he continued. "In truth, I may have been exhausted for a long time now." I muttered incredulously. "After doing all that, you say this now." "Taekyung!" Jin Wi-kyung threw me a reproachful glance, but the Grand Elder, unfazed, let out a deflated laugh. "Ha-ha. Yes, you're right, boy. Consider it the folly of a senile old man." "He really must be at death's door." "Ah, you impertinent boy!" "What? It's not like I said anything false." Jin Wi-kyung and I bickered while the Grand Elder watched us with dimming eyes. "There was a time for us, much like you two. Indeed, there was such a time." But the Grand Elder no longer had time to reminisce. "Cough, ku-keck!" He stumbled, coughing up an alarming amount of blood. Death hovered over him now. His eye vessels had burst entirely, and the blood pooling from his body had long formed a large puddle. It was apparent even to the untrained eye that his time was over. 'Is he really dying? That Grand Elder?' Everyone dies. In this battlefield alone, hundreds, possibly over a thousand lives might have perished. Yet, the death of the Grand Elder was unimaginable. His martial prowess had been overwhelming. That made his current state seem all the more pitiful. And so, I grew curious. "Why do you endure to such lengths?" The Grand Elder replied. "To tell those who left first... that I gave it my all." "Any regrets?" "None." He beamed widely and presented his chest to me. "Finish it. Do it with your own hands." I raised my spear. Jin Wi-kyung wore a complicated expression but did not stop me. Swoosh! A breeze blew, and the Grand Elder's once unyielding knees touched the ground. A serene smile crossed his wrinkled face. In his final moment, his lips moved, but no sound emerged. And that was all. Ding. - You have defeated [Lv.95 Jin Baek-yang]! - You have completed the quest, [Betrayer]! - Your level has increased significantly! - Your fame has increased significantly! A brief silence fell. Then erupted a colossal cheer the likes of which I had never heard before. "Jin Taekyung of Sansujamryong has slain Hwayanggeom Jin Baek-yang!" - You have acquired the title, [Sansujamryong]! Dozens, perhaps hundreds. All the survivors shouted my name. 'Sansujamryong, huh.' The new name had quite a ring to it. - Jin Taekyung of Tae Won Jin Family's third son has slain the Grand Elder! - Sansujamryong has vanquished Hwayanggeom! "Sansujamryong." Wi Paeng smirked. He was once the unruly third son, unheard of and called the Earthen Dragon. But now, there was no denying it. He is a hidden dragon, capable of soaring through the skies once he obtains the Ruyi pearl. “What do you think?” Il Jangro replied. “Do you trust those words?” “Everyone is shouting about the Grand Elder's death.” "That's because it was what our lord desired. That someone like the third son could best him? It's ridiculous." "Can you see that from here? You must have quite an eyesight." "Getting distracted like that is why things turned out this way. Hahaha." He was leaning against a pile of corpses. Blood was gushing from the sword wound that extended diagonally from his shoulder to his waist. “Submit. You can still be treated and survive.” "No. My end was decided long ago. A very painful death." Wi Paeng shook his head. “I cannot allow it.” "No permission is needed for my death. Not from you, and not even from me." “What are you saying?” As Wi Paeng furrowed his brows, failing to comprehend Il Jangro's words, it happened. “Be wary of Amcheon (Heaven’s Darkness)... Kreuk.” It was instant. Blood poured from Il Jangro's orifices. His eyes turned over, and his body convulsed. "Il Jangro!" By the time Wi Paeng hurried over, Il Jangro had already breathed his last. Just as he'd forewarned, he met a painful death, and his face was twisted in agony. 'This is...' Poison? Or a binding curse? There was no way to know now. Wi Paeng committed Il Jangro's parting word deeply to memory. 'Amcheon. He definitely said Amcheon.' The sole clue left by Il Jangro. With a complex mix of emotions, Wi Paeng looked at the deceased's face and then turned away. “I, Wi Paeng, have slain Il Jangro!” Despair etched itself onto the faces of the warriors cloaked in black. Between death and surrender, they chose the latter. Clang. Clatter. Weapons fell to the ground without strength. The war had reached its end. For every life lost, some survived. One such survivor was Jin Chung, Lord of the Bow Demon Gate, who had ascended to a cliff overlooking the battlefield beforehand. “How futile.” It was a grand scheme he had devoted half his life to. But the outcome was devastating. The Grand Elder whom he once served with utmost loyalty, the elders he considered brothers, all the gate lords of the Sanseo Five Gates had fallen. The survivors’ desperate struggles had ceased, leaving him the sole remnant. ‘Has it come to this?’ Jin Chung turned. Fifty warriors of the Bow Demon Gate stood awaiting his command. “Leave.” An invisible wave of unrest spread. A warrior closest to him cautiously spoke up. “Lord, does that mean...?” “The fight is over. I will not demand your sacrifice. Leave this place. Scatter widely beyond Sanseo, and you may just save your lives.” The warrior resolutely nodded. “I will follow you to the end.” “I shall... remain here.” “What?” His momentary surprise was followed by a tremor of passionate defiance in the warrior’s voice. “Is it because of us?” “Not at all.” Jin Chung answered firmly, though his heart told another story. 'If I go with them, Taewon Jin's family will relentlessly pursue us.' The Sanseo Five Gates, though many, were essentially one. Formed for a common purpose, their methods of martial training differed greatly. But Jin Chung... He hadn’t raised them as mere tools of war. He took them as his disciples. “Lord!” “Please lead us!” They were all orphans with no place to call home. It had been at least ten, some more than twenty years of feeding, sheltering, and training them in martial arts. Had the grand scheme succeeded, they would have become pillars of Sanseo's martial world. But now, as failures, they were merely traitors. “Are you not aware of the current situation?” “Even in death, I will be at your side.” “You fool!” “Grant us permission.” The warrior who had first stepped forward bowed his forehead to the stone floor. One by one, disciples began kneeling. Jin Chung looked to the sky in lament. “If only the grand scheme hadn’t been delayed. If only they had acted!” Only eight in the leadership knew of ‘them.’ His willingness to voice it meant Jin Chung had decided to face the end alongside his disciples. ‘This, too, must be destiny’s decree.’ Jin Chung torn his gaze from the dark night sky and helped the bowing warrior to his feet. What he felt in the face of such unwavering loyalty was beyond remorse, it was gratitude. “Enough. Rise now.” The warrior looked up to him, a trickle of blood flowing from their forehead. They licked it away with a grin. Suddenly— With a dull thud! Jin Chung stared blankly at the warrior. So great was his shock that pain did not register. ‘What is this...’ Splat! The warrior retracted the hand that had pierced Jin Chung's chest. In it glowed an ominous, blood-red aura, more foreboding than even moonlight. "You...” “You know what you’re asking. Ah, and the question you just had? Let me just simplify it for you.” The warrior’s grin deepened. “Why would we act on your behalf? Your part was only meant to reach this far.” Jin Chung's eyes widened. Them. The mysterious entities that never appeared until the very last moment. Amcheon! “You fiends!” “Oh, don’t look like you’re being used. Forgotten who pulled you out of hell?” Jin Chung recalled the nightmare from forty years ago. The battlefield strewn with allied corpses, the endless tide of the Demon Sect's forces. They had prepared to die, centered around the Grand Elder, until Amcheon arrived. “We saved your lives and gave you a shot at revenge. What more could you want?” He was right. Amcheon had obliterated the Demon Sect's forces, and they made an agreement, though it meant embedding solitude into their minds, they accepted it for revenge. But... “Was it not your ploy to use us to control Sanseo?” “Well, maybe initially.” “Then what was it for?” The warrior smirked. “A bigger picture.” Simultaneously, their bloodied hand touched Jin Chung's chest. Boom. A small explosion erupted within Jin Chung’s body. The ki shattered eardrums and severed blood veins, reaching all the way to his heart. ‘So it ends like this...’ Jin Chung’s thoughts ceased as his lifeless body tumbled gracefully like a bird, plunging off the cliff. Whoosh, thud! The warrior who glanced down squinted. "Ouch, that must hurt." What awaited him as he turned around were screams and bloodshed. Out of nowhere, ten warriors clad in black had appeared, slaughtering the disciples of the Bow Demon Gate. "Let's wrap this up quickly and leave." "As you command." Screech! Thud! The warrior cast his gaze down the cliff. While screams erupted around him, below, cheers and shouts filled the air. - Sansujamryong! - Jin Taekyung! Jin Taekyung! "Sansujamryong." The plan had succeeded, but Jin Taekyung’s unexpected presence was a variable he hadn’t foreseen, and that irked him. 'Should I eliminate him, or not?' If he wished, he could easily uproot the problem. His deep-set eyes fixed on Jin Taekyung, surrounded by the exhilarated crowd. - Our youngest! My brother! - Let go! Let go, you fool! A small, derisive chuckle slipped out. ‘I’ll spare him. For today.’ The warrior turned away, the ground covered like a carpet with the bodies of the fifty fallen.